A couple of days back, we brought you a report that Xiaomi‘s Mi Store in Portugal was now accepting payments using cryptocurrency including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, and even Dash for the purchase of smartphones, smartwatches, as well as other smart home products and devices. The move was said to be in partnership with Utrust, a Swiss cryptocurrency payment service provider, to support payment via digital assets in the region.
The news came as a surprise since Xiaomi is a Chinese company and the Chinese government had placed a ban on cryptocurrency. In a bid to avoid creating confusion, a Xiaomi spokesperson a few days back issued a statement on Weibo which clarified that the Mi Store in Portugal which announced the acceptance of cryptocurrency, is an authorized third-party partner which operates independently locally and “is not related to the operation of Xiaomi”.
The clarification could be a move to absolve the Chinese tech giant of any legal liability considering the stance of the Chinese government about cryptocurrency. However, a different rule applies in Portugal where the government is friendly towards cryptocurrency with favorable tax laws. Thus, it is no surprise the brand’s Portugal franchise is adopting crypto using the brand name without issuing a disclaimer in the local market. Moreso, Xiaomi’s founder Lei Jun had long been linked with the world’s largest bitcoin mining company – Bitmain.
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